Hazel Elsie Tallman Cole, a loving mother and grandmother who would do anything for anyone, died unexpectedly on Sunday, July 8, 2007. She was 65.

"She’d give the shirt off her back for anybody," said her daughter, Bonnie Slatcher, of Feura Bush.

Ms. Cole was born on Nov. 22, 1941 to the late Ella Warner Tallman Pease and Frank Tallman. She grew up in East Berne.

She met her late husband, Donald R. Cole Sr., on a date that was supposed to be with his brother, said Ms. Slatcher. "He never showed, and she latched on to my father," she said with a laugh.

They were married in 1964, and had five children. Mr. Cole died in 1997.

"She was the best mother that anyone could ever ask for," Ms. Slatcher said. "Everybody was always glad to be around her."

Ms. Cole would always say that, when her grandchildren were around, she had to "really pay attention," Ms. Slatcher said. They all referred to her differently: Some called her "Nanny," some called her, "Mema," and the others called her "Grandma," she said.

Ms. Cole was devoted to her family, her daughter said. "If she could be with all her children and grandchildren, she was the happiest," Ms. Slatcher said.

Ms. Cole had moved to Tennessee a few years ago, living near her daughter, Lisa Capps, Ms. Slatcher said. "I called her a thousand times a day, it seemed like," she said. "And she always called me every night." Ms. Slatcher said that she will really miss that daily talk with her mother.

Ms. Cole is survived by her children: Donald R. Cole, and his wife, Alma, of Albany; Kenneth F. Cole, of Waterford; Lisa M. Capps, and her husband, Calvin, of Dresden, Tenn.; Bonnie S. Slatcher, and her husband, Richard Jr., of Feura Bush; and Eric A. Cole, and his wife, Irene, of Troy.

She is also survived by her grandchildren: David, Eric Jr., Logan and companion Edward, and Victoria Cole; Gregory Shea; Kayla and Miranda Barker; J.B. and Zachary Capps; Alyssa Hunt; Destiny Prosser; and Matthew and Christopher Slatcher.

She is also survived by five sisters: Dorothy Dibble, and her husband, Willard; Erma Bouton, and her husband, John; Martha Noack, and her husband, Mark; Mary White, and her husband, Dennis; and Cindy Conway, and her husband, Peter. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Her husband, Donald R. Cole Sr., her grandson, Zachary Devin Slatcher, and her parents died before her.

A graveside service will be held today (Thursday) at 1 p.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery in Berne. Calling hours were held on Wednesday at the Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Johns Lutheran Church, Post Office Box 2, East Berne, NY 12059.

 Rachel Dutil

Dorothy Ruth Cullam

WRIGHT  Dorothy Ruth Cullam, a loving grandmother who worked in an aircraft factory during World War II, died July 2, 2007 at her Cotton Hill Road home after a long illness. She was 87.

She enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and baking, said her daughter, Michele Cullam.

"She loved baking," her daughter said. "She was a good baker and a good cook."

Mrs. Cullam also enjoyed crocheting and made shawls for St. Josephs Provincial House in Latham, said her daughter.

Born March 30, 1920 in Queens, N.Y., she was the daughter of the late Gottlieb and Leopoldine Stahl (nee Michel). She graduated from Grover Cleveland High School in Queens.

She was married to John C. Cullam on Nov. 20, 1941. They were married for 57 years when he died on April 8, 1999.

During World War II, Mrs. Cullam worked for B & F Aircraft in Long Island City as an inspector. She later worked for the New York State Department of Criminal Justice in Albany, before retiring in 1976.

Mrs. Cullam was a Catholic and attended St. Catherines Church in Middleburgh.

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Mrs. Cullam is survived by three children, Harry J. Cullam of Berne; John C. Cullam Jr., and his wife, Donna, of Altamont; and Michele A. Cullam of Berne; and five grandchildren, Darleen Shultes; John Cullam, and his wife, Angel; Darin Cullam; David Cullam, and his wife, Christine; and Teresa Goffredo, and her husband, Michael.

She is also survived by five great-grandchildren; Carli, Emily, Jordan, Ryan, and Justin; two nieces, Diana Jansen and Joan Wrede, and one nephew, Fred Stahl Jr.

Her brother, Fred Stahl; nephew Robert Stahl; and daughter-in-law, May Norman Cullam died before her.

Arrangements were by the Langan Funeral Home in Schoharie. A funeral service was held on July 5. Burial was in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Berne.

GUILDERLAND CENTER  Richard W. Lawton, a World War II veteran who loved baseball, died on July 4, 2007, at the Community Hospice Inn at St. Peters Hospital in Albany. He was 87.

Mr. Lawton, who served in the Army during World War II, was a prisoner of war in Germany. He also received the Purple Heart.

"He didn’t say very much about it. He didn’t really talk about it," Mr. Lawton’s son William said about his father’s war service. "He liked baseball. He played for Altamont High School."

Mr. Lawton was a former member of the Capital District Umpires Association.

"He used to umpire high school and Little League games. He did it for a long time," William Lawton said.

Born in Schenectady in 1919 to the late Anna and William Lawton, Richard Lawton worked for General Electric for 42 years before retiring in 1981.

Mr. Lawton, a life-time resident of Guilderland Center, was a member of the Helderberg Reformed Church for 74 years and had served there as a treasurer, deacon, and elder. He was also a life member of the Guilderland Center Fire Department.

"He was very proud to be from Guilderland Center," his son said.

Mr. Lawton is survived by his wife of 60 years, Marjorie Arnold Lawton; his two sons, William Lawton, and his wife, Barbara, of Holland, Mich., and Thomas Lawton, of Guilderland Center; and his five grandchildren, Craig, Kyle, and Cara Lawton, and Dana and Tom Lawton.

He is also survived by his two sisters, Elizabeth Tuft, of Florida, and Marion Lawton, of Guilderland Center. His brother, Donald Lawton, died before him.

A memorial service was held on Monday, July 9, at the Helderberg Reformed Church in Guilderland Center, with burial in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Guilderland. Arrangements were by Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont.

GUILDERLAND  Clair Steverson, a long-time cashier for the Star Market in Guilderland, died on Wednesday, July 4, 2007, at the Julie Blair Nursing Home in Albany. She was 74. Born in Rensselaer, she was the daughter of the late Mary and Harold Nicholls. She originally moved to Guilderland in 1957, according to her son Daryl.